New OR-FACE fatality investigation report

Falls continue to be the leading cause of death in the construction industry. These deaths are preventable. A newly published fatality investigation report by the Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (OR-FACE) Program examines some contributing factors of a fall that took the life of a construction worker.

The worker, who was installing siding on an apartment building, died after falling 20-25 feet from a pump-jack scaffold. In addition to describing a number of safety hazards that were identified, the report discusses prevention recommendations such as ensuring the use of fall protection, taking into account site-specific conditions to select appropriate methods for safely accessing heights, and conducting regular inspections to make sure all safety provisions are in place.

OR-FACE hopes that these reports are used for educational purposes, to help prevent similar incidents from occurring. Download the report, or access it and other reports from the OR-FACE website.